Reading apparatus



Aug. 17, 1937. R. A. DE voRE 2,090,346

l READING APPARATUS Filed Maron 25, 193e 4 sheets-sheet 1 f i 'I 1 K 76De fare Aug. 17, 1937. R. A. DE voRE READING APPARATUS Filed March 25,1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 A uh.

Aug. 17, 1937. R. A.- DE voRE 2,090,346

READING APPARATUS Filed March 25, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 J?. erore Aug.17, 1937 Filed March 25, 1936 R. A. DE VORE READING APPARATUS 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-ICE 6Claims.

This invention relates to an improved reading apparatus and one objectof the invention is to so construct the apparatus that a book, newspaperor the like may be supported in such a position that printed matter maybe seen through a magnifying glass forming part of the apparatus and toalso provide a light so mounted that the newspaper or book will beilluminated without injury to the eyes of a person using the apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to so construct and mount the. holderby means of which the book or newspaper is to be supported that it maybe shifted along a base towards or away from the magnifying glassmounted at the front of 15 the base and thus permit proper focus to beobtained when using the reading apparatus.

It is another object of the invention to permit a book holder formingpart of the carrier to be shifted vertically and also transversely ofthe base and thus permit the book or newspaper to be shifted verticallyor transversely and supported in the adjusted position wherein printedmatter in a certain location upon the newspaper or book may be seenthrough the reading glass. This also 5 permits the book or newspaper tobe shifted horizontally as it is read and progressively move readingmatter in a line into position to be seen clearly through the glass.

Another object of the. invention is to so con- .30 struct the mountingfor the book or newspaper holder that portions of the mounting may beeX- tended and engage backs of large books or papers.

It is also an object of the invention to so construct the reading glassthat it may be detachably 35 mounted in position over the front end ofthe 40 through the base and auxiliary handle members applied in case thehandle formed as part of the reading glass is not of the proper lengthto permit a person using the reading apparatus to easily see glass.

Another object of the invention is the provision of improved means formounting the lens in the frame of the reading glass and, in addition, toprovide an auxiliary lens which may be supported 5 from the rim of themain reading glass and thus permit extra magnication of the printedmatter in case it is printed in very fine type or a person using theapparatus has very weak eyesight.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a light including abulb mounted in an electric socket carrying a reiiector for directingrays of light towards the book or newspaper resting upon the holder andto associate with the 55 reector a color screen through which rays oflight from the electric bulbmust pass and thus cause the light raysdirected upon the book or newspaper to closely simulate daylight. Bythis arrangement, reected glare from a newspaper or the pages of a bookwill be eliminated and eye strain prevented.

Another object of the invention is the provision: of a reading apparatusof such construction that it may be used either by a person sitting at atable or by a sick person reclining in a bed, provision beingmade forsupporting the base of the apparatus at an angle such that the personusing the apparatus may very easily see through the reading glass.

yThe invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinFigure l is a perspective view of the improved reading apparatus.

Figure 2 is a View showing the ing apparatus in side elevation.

Figure 3 is a view in section, taken along the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the reading glass with portions shown inelevation and portions in section.

Figure 5 is a sectional View through the reflector of the illuminatinglamp, taken along the line 5 5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is `an enlarged fragmentary sectional View, taken along theline 6 5 of Figure 4, and illustrating the manner in which the lens issupported in its frame.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional View upon an enlarged scale, takenalong the line 1 1 of Figure l.

Figure. 8 isa fragmentary sectional View, taken along the line 8 8 ofFigure 7.

Figure 9 is a view in section of an auxiliary handle member by use ofwhich the reading glass may be supported in an elevated position.

Figure l0 is a view in side elevation of a modied embodiment of theinvention.

, Figure 11 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the manner inwhich the handle of the reading glass shown in Figure is connected withthe supporting bar or arm.

Figure l2 is a sectional view upon an enlarged scale, taken along theline I2 l2 of Figure 10.

Figure 13 is a View taken along the line I3 I3 of Figure 12.

Figure 14 is a View partially in section and` partially in elevation,and illustrating another modifled construction.

`The base l of this improved reading apparatus may be formed of wood orany other desired maimproved readterial and has widened front and rearend portions 2 and 3 which project from opposite sides of itsintermediate portion. By so forming the base, it may rest upon a table,bed or other surface and the extended front and rear end portions willserve to prevent transverse tilting of the base and mechanism carriedthereby. Auxiliary blocks or strips 4 and 5 are formed integral with orsecured in any desired manner upon upper faces of the front and rear endportions of the base and these blocks or extensions carry rods 6 whichextend longitudinally of the base over the intermediate portion thereofwith their end portions passing through openings formed in the blocksand carrying securing nuts 1 by means of which they are held firmly inplace and prevented from slipping longitudinally out of engagement withthe blocks. In some instances, it is desired to have the base rest flatupon the table, bed or other surface upon which it is placed while atother times it is desirable to dispose the base at an incline so thatthe person using the reading apparatus may-more easily obtain a clearview through the reading glass. Therefore, there have been providedyokes or props 8 and 9 which are carried by the forward end portion ofthe base. Each of the props is formed from a length of metal rod bent inspaced relation to its ends to provide a bridge portion and side arms,the arms I of the prop 8 being shorter than the arms II of the prop 9and both props having their arms terminating in inwardly bent portionsforming pintles rotatably engaged in sockets formed in end faces of thewidened portion 2 of the base. The short prop 6 when notin use isrswungupwardly above the base and forward block 4 and when it is to be used itis swung downwardly from the raised position to the lowered positionindicated by dotted lines in Figure 2 in which position its arms makecontact with pins I2 projecting from ends of the enlarged portion 2 ofthe base and located substantially midway between but in a slightlylower plane than the pintles of the two props. It will thus -be seenthat forward f movement of the shorter prop when in a lowered positionfor use will be limited and this prop will support the base at anincline. When the taller prop is in use, it is swung downwardly from theinoperative or folded position in which it projects forwardly under thebase, as shown in Figure 1, to a lowered position in which it extendsdownwardly from the base at a rearward incline with its arms engagingthe abutment pin, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2. Furtherrearward movement of the prop 9 when swung downwardly to the loweredposition is limited by engagement of its arms with the abutment pin andthe base will be supported at a steeper incline. Clips I3 formed ofresilient metal and secured against ends of the widened forward portion2 of the base are provided to engage the arms of the tall prop 9 when itis swung forwardly and upwardly to the folded or inoperative positionand retain the prop in the folded position.

The reading glass, which is indicated in general by the numeral I4, iscarried by the forward block 4 and located midway the width of theforward end portion 2 of the base so that a person using the readingapparatus and looking through the lens I5 of the reading glass mayeasily obtain a view of the newspaper, book or the like carried by theobject support indicated in general by the numeral I5. This readingglass is provided with a lens of such diameterthat the person using thereading apparatus may use both eyes when looking through the lens.Therefore, eye strain will not be caused by the user of the apparatusattempting to look through a lens which is too small. The lens which maybe referred toI as a binocular lens is six inches in diameter althoughit may be of any diameter desired and may be double convex, planoconvex, concavo convex, plano convex cylinders with convex surfacestogether and axis opposite, achromatic or nonachromatic, or completelycorrected anastigmats, or any combination of curve or foci that willgive atness of field of the observed object, but always of sufficientdiameter to permit binocular vision.

In order to mount the lens in the frame I'I which is formed of a metalrod, there has been provided clips I8, each of which is formed from astrand or strip of resilient metal. These strands are coiled about themetal rod from which the frame I'I is formed, as shown clearly inFigures 4 and 6, with end portions of the strand projecting inwardlyradially of the frame to form hinges I9 disposed in position to engageopposite faces of 'the lens and thus firmly grip the lens and prevent itfrom moving out of its proper position in the frame. The metal rod fromwhich the frame I'II is formed is bent to define a circular frame of theproper diameter to receive the lens and end portions of the rod are bentto project radially of the frame in contacting engagement with eachother, as shown in Figure 4 and form a shank 20 engaged in a socket 2|formed in the upper end of a handle 22. This handle may be formed ofwood or any other desired material and of any desired length anddiameter and at its lower end is formed with a socket 23 to receive theshank 24 of a mounting fork, the arms or tines 25 of which project fromthe lower end of the handle longitudinally thereof and when engaged insockets 2li formed in the slots 4 support the reading glass in anupright position. Therefore, a person using the reading apparatus doesnot need to hold the reading glass but may sit in a chair or recline ina bed and look through the reading glass. In case the length of thehandle 22 is not sufficient to support the lens at such an elevationabove the base that a person can conveniently see through the readingglass, an extension block 2, such as shown` in Figure 9, may beemployed. ThisV extension block has sockets 28 leading from its upperend to receive the prongs or arms 25 and at its lower end the extensionblock carries a fork 29 corresponding in construction to the fork of thehandle and having its prongs or arms 35) projecting from the blocklongitudinally thereof in rposition for engagement in the sockets 26.When this block is applied to the handle, the lens will be supported inan elevated position and it is to be understood that any number of theseblocks may be provided, the blocks of the set being of differentlengths. By removing the reading glass from the blocks 4 and grasping itby its handle, it may be used as a hand glass.

When elderly persons or persons having greatly impaired eyesight areusing the reading apparatus, it is desirable to additionally magnifyprinted matter which is to be read. It is also sometimes desirable toprovide means for additionally magnifying the reading matter when it isprinted in very small type. In such cases, an auxiliary lens 3l which issmaller in diameter than the lens I5 is mounted at the front of the mainlens, as shown in Figures l and 2. This auxiliary lens is preferably ofapproximately onehalf the diameter of the mainy lens land ground tonorrespond to the grinding of the main lens but it is to be understoodthat the auxiliary lens may be ground :in any manner desired. Thisauxiliary lens .or magnifying element is mounted in a metal frame 3,2 byfasteners 33 corresponding in construction to the fasteners I8 and fromthe rim y32 .extends mounting arms 34 which project forwardly indiyerging relation to each .other and have their terminal portions bentto form hooks or bills 35 adapted to 4engage about the frame I1 of themain lens .and securely but detachably hold the auxiliary lens in anoperative position where it is centered with respect to the main lens.In view Aof the fact that the arms 34 Aare formed of resilient metal,the hooks or bills may be very easily engaged with or detached from theframe of the main lens .and when in engagement therewith firmly grip it.

During use ofthe reading apparatus, it is desirable to have the book,newspaper or other object illuminated so that vthis object which issupported -by the carrier I6 may be` clearly seen. Therefore, there hasbeen provided an electric socket 31 which is mounted above the readingglass by a clamp 38 engaged about the socket and also engaged about theupper portion of the rim or frame l'lof the reading glass. This socket37 extends circumferentially of the reading glass at a tangent to theframe l' and carries a cupshaped reflector 39 which is formed of metaland has -its front open so that light from the bulb 40 will be directedforwardly towards the newspaper, book or the like supported by thecarrier I6 and illuminate the same to such an extent that it may beclearly seen and easily read or inspected. A light filter 4I which maybe formed of glass or any other light penetratable material desired ismounted at the open front of the reflector and provided with a rim orframe 42 carrying hooks or bills 43 which project rearwardly and areformed of resilient material so that they may be snapped into engagementwith the bead 44 formed about margins of the open front of lthe reector.Therefore, the filter will be detachably mounted and very firmly held inplace when applied to the reflector. This filter is tinted anappropriate color which will cause undersirable rays from an electricbulb to be absorbed and light having daylight qualities shown upon thebook or other object to be inspected or read.

Due to the construction of the magnifying lens which, in addition to itsspherical power, is comi posed of two approximately 'l1/2 prisms, basesin the leyes of the observer incline to diverge when looking at anobject at reading distance, or assume a position of parallelism whichwould be practically the same as when looking at infinity, thus-reducing the necessity for muscular convergence. Then, due tothe highmagnification and illumination of the object, the accommodative effortis also greatly relaxed. Thus, the strain on the two main functions inthe act of seeing, accommodation and convergence, are greatly lessenedand the observer sees with comparative comfort. This effect is extremelyadvantageous to persons of advanced years in whom these two functionsare naturally weakened and impaired, and of great benefit also to theyoung whose eyes are weak due to heredity or other causes.

When the supplementary magnifying lens is used, only monocular vision ispermitted, but the magnification, .in addition to that of the largerlens, is increased 100 to 200%. This sup-- plementary lens feature isparticularly advantageous and helpful to persons who have visionremaining in only one eye and in which the visual acuity is very low.

The object carrier, indicated in general by numeral 16, has a standard45 formed of wood or other desired material and having at its lower enda foot 46 so that when the standard is secured upon the base block orcarriage 4l by screws passed upwardly through the base and into the footand lower end of the standard, the standard will be rmly secured uponthe base. This base or carriage has passages or bores 48 formed throughit to slidably receive the mountn ing rods or tracks 6 and a forwardlyprojecting screweye 49 is carried by the base between the mounting rodso that by grasping this screweye the carrier may be slid longitudinallyupon the rod and thus shift the object carrier towards or away from thereading glass. Therefore, a book, newspaper or vthe like may be disposedthe cor rect focal dista-nce from the reading glass to accommodate theapparatus to the condition of the eyesight of the person using the same.Cross bars 50 in the form of metal tubes extend transversely of thestandard with their intermediate portions extending through grooves orrecesses 5I formed in the front face of the standard where they aresecured by screws 52 which pass through the tubes as shown in Figure 'land are screwed tightly into the standard. Openings 53 are formed in thetubes at the front thereof in order that the screws may be set in placeand a screw driver passed into the tubes to turn the screws tightly intothe standard. Extension rods 54 which are also formed of metal tubes andhave heads or knobs 55 at their outer ends are slidably received in thecross bars to serve as extensible sections for the cross bars and permita very large book or a large sheet of paper such as a big blue print orthe like to be supported and braced against rearward movement. Clips 56which are formed of resilient metal are secured in the tubular extensionsections 54 by rivets 5l and extend longitudinally of the extensionsections with their free end portions projecting through openings 58 tobear against inner surfaces of the tubular cross bars and frictionallyhold the extensible sections in adjusted position.

The carrier 59 upon and against which the book or newspaper directlyrests is preferably formed of sheet metal, although any desired materialmay be used, and consists of a flat sheet having its lower portion bentto form a forwardly projecting ledge or flange 60 terminating at itsfront in an upstanding lip 5|. It will thus be seen that a book or papermay be set upon the ledge 59 back of the lipy 6I or with a portion ofthe book resting upon the lip and the book or paper will rest againstthe front face of the fiat sheet from which the carrier is formed. Thebook o1' paper may be disposed either perpendicular to the ledge or at arearward incline. In order to maintain a book or paper in engagementwith the carrier and prevent pages of a book from turning, there havebeen provided retainers 62 formed from strands of resilient wire. Eachstrand is coiled intermediate its length to form a helical spring 33having arms 64 and 65 projecting from it in straddling relation to theupper portion of the sheet metal carrier and by referring to Figures 2and 3 it will be seen that the rear arm 54 terminates in eyes 66 throughwhich rivets or equivalent fasteners are passed to pivotallymount Atheretainers and thus permit the retainers to be swung transversely of thecarrier to such a position that the longer front arms 65 which terminatein large eyes 61 at their lower ends may be disposed in overlyingengagement with a newspaper or the pages of a book and thus retain thepaper or book in its proper position upon the carrier and prevent pagesof a book from accidentally turning. Bills or prongs 68 projectrearwardly and downwardly from the metal sheet from which the carrier isformed and are spaced from each other transversely thereof so that theymay engage over a selected cross bar 5B and support the carrier. Byproviding a number of cross bars, the carrier will be well bracedagainst rearward strain and also permit the carrier to be shiftedvertically and supported in the adjusted position with the bills engagedwith a predetermined cross bar. It should also be noted that the bills..are so spaced from each other that they engage a cross bar at oppositesides of the standard and, therefore, the carrier may be shiftedtransversely of the base l and portions of a line of printed matterprogressively moved into position to be seen through the reading glassor a desired portion of a blue print or the like moved into position tobe seen through the glass. As additional means for maintaining thecarrier in operative engagement with its support and permit vertical andhorizontal adjustment thereof, there has been provided a staff 69 formedof a metal tube and having its lower end pivotally mounted by a fastener79 which passes through an eye formed at the lower end of the shaft andinto the standard 45 close to the foot 46 thereof. This staff extendsupwardly with its intermediate portion bent to project forwardly acrossthe curved upper end of the standard, as shown at ll, and the upperportion of the staff projects upwardly, as shown in Figures l and 2.Since the staff is formed of a metal tube, an extensible section 'l2 maybe telescoped into the upper end portion of the staff and when necessarydrawn upwardly to a position in which it projects upwardly a sufficientdistance to support the upper portion of a large blue print or the likewhich projects upwardly above the upper edge of the carrier. Thisextensible section 12 corresponds in construction to the extensibleextensions 54 of the cross bars and is formed with a knob or head 'I3 atits upper end and will preferably be held in an adjusted position by aclip corresponding to the clip 56. By grasping the upper end of theextension or the upper end portion of the staff, the stair may be swungtransversely of the standard about the fastener 70 and the sheet metalcarrier which is anchored to the staff by the eye 'F4 will be shiftedtransversely along the cross bars. The cross strip 15 fixed to the rearface of the standard has its ends bent rearwardly to form abutments 16to limit swinging movement of the staff. Positions which may be assumedby the carrier when shifted transversely are indicated by dotted linesin Figure 3 but it is to be understood that these positions do notindicate the full extent to which the carrier may be shifted. Rods orhandles I1 which terminate in eyes 'i8 at their outer ends project fromopposite side edges of the carrier for use when shifting the carriertransversely, in which case it will not be necessary to grasp the upperend of the staff or its extension when shifting the carrier along thecross bars.

In Figures l1 through 13, there has been illustrated an embodiment ofthe invention particularly adapted for use when reading or inspectingbooks and papers placed upon a table. In this embodiment of theinvention, a standard 'I9 which may be of any height desired, is usedand this standard has a large base 80 which may be formed integral withor separate from the standard. The base is preferably weighted so thatit will maintain the standard in its upright position and prevent theweight of the reading glass and lamp carried thereby from causing thestandard to tilt over. Circuinferentially extending grooves constitutingannular `seats are formed about the standard in spaced relation to eachother one above another and when a latch 82 carried by a block 83 isengaged in one of the grooves or seats 8|, the block will be supportedat a predetermined height above the table or other surface upon whichthe base 80 rests. The latch 82, by means of which the block issupported, consists of a strip of stiff metal disposed radially of theblock with its outer end portion projecting from the block and formedinto la ngerhold 84 by means of which it may be easily grasped and slidradially of the block into and out of position to engage in the groovesor seats. Screws 85 serve as supports for the latch and as these screwsextend through slots 86 formed longitudinally of the latch, slidingmovement of the latch will be permitted. A pin 81 extends downwardlyfrom the latch between the slots 86 for engagement by a spring 88. Thisspring consists of a strand Iof resilient metal having one end bent toform an eye through which a securing screw 89 passes and resiliency ofthis spring causes it to normally maintain the latch in the operativeposition in which its inner end will engage in a groove of the standard.By grasping the head 84, the latch may be drawn outwardly to a releasingposition and the block shifted vertically upon the standard toapproximately theelevation desired and upon releasing the latch, thespring will shift it inwardly to the operative position. If it isdesired to prevent the block from turning about the standard, the setscrew 9D carried by the block will be tightened until it has bindingengagement with the standard between the grooves, as shown in Figure l2,but if it is desired to permit the block to turn freely about the staffafter being shifted vertically thereon to an adjusted position, the setscrew will be left loose.

In order to support the reading glass 9| which corresponds to thereading glass I4 and carries a source of illumination 92 constructed inaccordance with that shown in Figure 4, there has been provided an armor bar 93 formed of wood or metal and extending through a bore orpassage 94 formed through the block 83 at the opposite sides thereoffrom the set screw 90. This bore or passage 94 extends through the blocktransversely of a radius thereof, and, in the present illustration, atright angles to the latch, and the block carries a set screw 95 which,when tightened, has frictional engagement withthe arm or bar to secureit in a longitudinally adjusted position and prevent rotation of the barin the bore 94. The outer end portion of the arm or bar fits into asocket 96 formed in the rear inner end of the head 91 where it issecured by a set screw 98 and upon referring to Figure 11, it will beseen that at its outer or front end, the head is formed with sockets 99to receive the prongs of the fork |00 carried by the handle IUI of thereading glass. This handle is formed near its rear end with acircumferentially extending groove |02 forming an annular seat toreceive the 1 standard, an articlefcar'rier in front of said standlipsor'anges- IU3 formed at outer or front ends of clamping jaws HM formedfrom strips or resilient metal and having their shanks forming portionsdisposed against opposedl portions of the head Sl. Slots lll' and M15are formed in the Shanks of the clamping strips to receive the screwslill and set screws S and it will be readily apparent that when the setscrews are loosened, the clamps may be slid forwardly longitudinally ofthe head and the clamps will be relieved of pressure by the set screws.Therefore, the jaws formed by the forwardly projecting portions of theclamps may move apart a sufficient distance to free the lips H03 fromthe groove |02 and the reading glass may be detached from the head. In alike manner, the handle of the reading glass may be applied to the headand the clamps then slid rearwardly and the set screws tightened asumcient extent to cause the jaws to firmly grip the handle. It shouldalso be noted that by loosening the set screws, the reading glass may beturned about the shank of the fork for angular adjustment about ahorizontal axis and the set screws then again tightened or, if sodesired, the angular adjustment just referred to may be obtained byloosening the set screw 98 and turning the head about the arm 93 or byloosening the set screw 95 and turning the arm in the bore or passage94.

In Figure 14 there has been illustrated a simplied construction whereinthe reading glass, which is indicated in general by the numeral [09, isdirectly applied to a base or support l l@ formed from a board of anydesired length and width and which may be formed in accordance with theoutline of the base I, if so desired. This base has a metal plate l Hmounted in a countersunk seat H2 formed in the upper face of the baseWhere it is secured by a suitable number of screws H3 and in this plateand board are formed sets of sockets H4, H5, and l IB to receive theprongs H1 projecting from the handle H8 of the reading glass. The setsof sockets H4, are so drilled that when the prongs of the reading glassare engaged therein, the reading glass will be mounted in aperpendicular position, whereas the prong receiving sockets H5 extendforwardly at an incline and the sockets H6 extend forward at a greaterincline than the sockets l l5. By this arrangement, the reading glassmay be transferred from one set of sockets to another and the angle atwhich the reading glass is disposed regulated. While three sets ofsockets have been illustrated, It will be understood that as many asdesired may be provided and formed at any angle desired. By detachingthe reading glass from the base, it may be held by its handle and usedas a hand glass and the lamp socket left attached to the frame of thereading glass or removed therefrom if not needed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a reading apparatus, an object holder comprising a standard, crossbars carried by said standard and projecting from opposite sidesthereof, an article engaging and supporting member having mountingmembers projecting rearwardly for engaging over a predetermined crossbar at opposite sides of the standard, and a staff carried by saidstandard and loosely connected with the article engaging member.

2. In a reading apparatus, a standard, cross bars carried by saidstandard and extending horizontally in vertical spaced relation to eachother and projecting from opposite sides of the ard having rearwardlyprojecting mounting members engageable over a selected cross bar tomount the article carrier in av vertically adjusted position and permithorizontal adjustment thereof along they selected cross bar, a Staffextending vertically and pivoted at itsl lower' end to said standardwith its upper portion projecting above the standard, and an eye carriedby the article carrier and loosely engaged about the upwardly projectingportion of said staff.

3. In a reading apparatus, a standard, cross bars carried by saidstandard and spaced one above another, a staff extending vertically withits lower end pivoted to the standard adjacent the lower end thereof andits upper portion projecting upwardly above the standard, a cross stripcarried by said standard and extending transversely thereof in front ofthe stai and projecting from opposite sides of the standard with itsends bent to form abutments for engaging the staff and limiting pivotalmovement thereof, an article carrier in front of said standard havingrearwardly projecting members for engaging a selected cross bar atopposite sides of the standard in spaced relation thereto and mountingthe carrier in a vertically adjusted position for sliding movement uponthe selected cross bar to horizontally adjusted position, and an anchorextending rearwardly from the article carrier and loosely engaged aboutthe staff above the standard to loosely hold the article carrier inconnection with the staif.

4. In a reading apparatus, a st-andard, cross bars carried Iby saidstandard in vertical spaced relation to each other and each of a tubularform-ation, tubular extension bars slidably engaged in the cross barsfor adjustment longitudinally thereof and having their outer endsprojecting from ends of the cross bars, each extension bar being formedwith an opening adjacent its inner end, a resilient gripper secured ineach extension bar with a portion projecting through the opening formedtherein to engage the companion cross bar and exert frictional bindingto hold the extension bar in an adjusted position, a staff pivoted tosaid standard and having its upper portion projecting above thestandard, an extension bar telescoped into the upper portion of saidstaff and slidable longitudinally thereon for vertical adjustment, andan article carrier having a ring loosely engaged about the upwardlyprojecting portion of said staff and rearwardly extending prongseng-ageable over a selected cross bar to support the carrier in avertically adjusted position and slidably mount the carrier upon theselected cross bar for horizontal adjustment.

5. In a reading apparatus, a standard, cross bars carried by saidstandard and projecting -from opposite sides thereof, a staff pivoted atits lower end to said standard and having its upper portion projectingabove the standard, and an article carrier consisting of a metal blankbent adjacent its lower edge to form a backing sheet having a forwardlyprojecting flange, an eye carried by the b-acking sheet and extendingrearwardly therefrom and loosely engaged about the projecting upperportion of said staff, and prongs extending rearwardly from the backingsheet and engaged over a selected cross bar at opposite sides of thestandard to mount the article carrier in a vertically adjusted positionand permit sliding movement along the selected cross bar to ahorizontally adjusted position.

rsupporting member upon the cross bar for movement longitudinallythereof, and a. staff movably carried by said standard and connectedwith the article-supporting member and constituting a handle forshifting the same along the bar.

ROSS A. DE VORE.

